Slinky Dog
Slinky Dog, better known as Slinky, is a toy dachshund with a graveled Southern accent who appears in Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and Toy Story 3. Slinky, often called Slink, possesses a wooden front and hind quarters, with a very stretchable metal slinky as his middle, and a green collar. Slinky maintains a nearly unflagging faith in Woody, and the practical pup will go to great lengths to help and protect his friend. Slinky's catchphrase is "Golly bob-howdy!" (this catchphrase is a tribute to Jim Varney's most popular character, Ernest P. Worrell, whose trademark was this phrase). ''Toy Story'' In the first film, Slinky is first seen coming out from under Andy's bed playing checkers. He is loyal to Woody, and continues to defend him... until he sees Woody waving Buzz Lightyear's severed arm. After the toys learn from Bo Peep that "Woody was telling the truth," Slinky, also feeling guilt, uses his elastic middle to help pull Woody and Buzz into the moving truck (ultimately rebounding back when he wears himself out). His springy coil somewhat breaks off from his hind body in the process, but is shown to have been fixed at the end of the film, when the toys settle in Andy's new room. ''Toy Story 2'' In the second film, when Woody is looking for his hat to go to Cowboy Camp with Andy, it is Slinky who finds Woody's hat. The bad news is, he got it from Buster, Andy's dog. After Al McWhiggin of Al's Toy Barn steals Woody, Slinky goes on the mission led by Buzz Lightyear to rescue their valuable friend. The rescue squad uses Slinky's coil as a bungee cord to jump from Andy's house. Slinky also has to use two traffic cones (one on his head, another on his tail) when crossing the street due to his unique size and structure. At Al's Toy Barn, while searching in Al's office with a newer Buzz Lightyear action figure that the toys mistake, Slinky encounters a Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots on Al's desk and asks them if they have seen "a cowboy doll with a bad arm" (referring to Woody), only to indirectly cause the two robots to fight. As Al enters the office, the New Buzz orders the toys to stow away in Al's bag, then they arrive at an apartment that houses Al's Penthouse. After entering the apartment through an air vent, they climb up an elevator shaft and arrive at the topmost floor with help from a rising elevator. When the toys break into the penthouse, Slinky and Bullseye have a growling match that Jessie tries to stop, but Slinky uses his coil to tie up Jessie and Bullseye. He then orders his allies to grab Woody and escape, but they are stopped by Andy's Buzz, who proves that he is the one that the toys recognize, to Slinky's relief. Slinky feels disappointed when Woody intends to stay with his Roundup gang to be put in a museum, and takes a possibly one last look at Woody before he leaves with the others, but brightens up when Woody declares that he is coming with them. After Al packs up Woody and the Roundup collection into his case and leaves the penthouse, the toys jump onto the elevator, and Buzz opens the emergency hatch on the elevator and uses Slinky to fish Woody out. Just as Slinky opens the case and grab Woody's hands, the elevator reaches the lobby and Al steps out, causing Slinky to become stretched out, but Stinky Pete grabs Woody and pulls him back into the case, causing Slinky to accidentally release Woody and rebound. After the toys leave the apartment, they hijack a Pizza Planet delivery truck, and Slinky controls the pedals of the truck to chase Al to Tri-County International Airport. At the airport, Slinky follows Buzz, but his hind legs become stuck to one of the luggage handles, and is unable to follow Buzz as he becomes overstretched again. However, he is able to rejoin with the other toys as they stun Stinky Pete with a flash camera and finally capture him. After the toys return home, Slinky is seen standing with Buster at the door, interpreting that Buster wants to get out of the room. Finally, he is among an audience of toys who gather around to watch Wheezy sign "You've Got a Friend in Me". ''Toy Story 3'' In the third film, Slinky goes to Sunnyside Daycare with the others. He is still very loyal to his friends, but is heartbroken when he believes he and the other toys are thrown out by Andy. At Sunnyside, he is seen being tangled up constantly by the young children, and is easily dispatched by Lotso's gang and imprisoned. He is seen to be the happiest toy to see Woody return, and helps his loyal friend subdue the Monkey toy who monitors the security cameras. When the toys end up in the junkyard, Slinky is the first to be sucked up by a magnetic ceiling due to his metallic rings in his body. When the toys are rescued from death by an incinerator, he is the most vocal about wanting to get revenge on Lotso for leaving them to die. When the toys return home, they use Slinky as a bungee cord to jump back up to the roof (the similar way Buzz's rescue party have done in the previous film when leaving). In the end, he and the other toys are eventually donated to Bonnie, a little girl who took Woody home earlier in the film. During the end credits, when Dolly shows the toys the drawing Bonnie has made for each toy, Slinky says his catchphrase "Golly bob-howdy!" as he sees the one made of him (however, he does not say the catchphrase during the main events of the film). The Attack Dog with a Built-In Force Field During Andy's play scenario that occurs in the opening sequences for both Toy Story and Toy Story 3, the latter taking place in real-world imagination, Slinky Dog is portrayed as an "Attack Dog With A Built-In Force Field," who is Mr. Potato Head's character One-Eyed Bart's attack dog that, when summoned by Bart, protects him with a "force field" from being arrested by Sheriff Woody. In the third film, he also protects Bart's wife One-Eyed Betty (Mrs. Potato Head's character) and the three Aliens. In the first film, he is defeated by Woody's "Dinosaur Who Eats Force-Field Dogs" (Rex's role), allowing Woody to send Bart to "Jail" (Molly's crib). However, in the third film, he is spared because a spaceship controlled by Evil Dr. Porkchop (Hamm's character) appears, and Dr. Porkchop warps the villains, along with their attack dog, back inside the spaceship. Trivia * Slinky had large eyebrows in the first two films. However, his eyebrows are quite slim in the third film. * Slinky is made of wood with articulating legs and head, unlike the real life toy which is made of plastic and stands completely still. * The real life Slinky Dog toy (usually) has a pull string in-between its eyes, unlike the character in the films. * At one point in Toy Story 2, he says "I may not be a smart dog, but I know what roadkill is." This is a reference to the quote "I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is" from the 1994 film Forrest Gump, which starred Tom Hanks, the voice of Woody, as the main character. * The character's name and basic appearance are modeled on a much older pull-toy dog, manufactured by James Industries (the Slinky company). When Toy Story was released theatrically in late 1995, the original toy had been out of production for at least five years. Thus, while toys of Woody, Buzz, and even a special edition Mr. Potato Head had been rushed to the market, company CEO Betty James had "mold problems" reworking the toy, and it was some time later when Slinky Dog toys (now bearing the likeness of the Toy Story version) were shipped to stores.Laskas, Jeanne Marie. "Sage in Toyland: Slinky CEO cares about her employees." The Washington Post. January 28, 1996 * In Toy Story 3, Slinky is voiced by Blake Clark. However, in the first and second film, he was voiced by Jim Varney, who died shortly after Toy Story 2 due to lung cancer. Prior to his death, Varney had been good friends with Clark. * He appears in Toy Story 3: The Video Game and appears to have a ranch called Slinky Corral. Quotes Sources Category:Toy Story Characters Category:Toy Story 2 Characters Category:Toy Story 3 Characters Category:Toy Story 3 Video Game Characters